By Kate Bartlett
Mayor Kimberly Ecklund was sworn into office on January 1, 2024. She is proud to be only the 2nd Female Mayor in the history of the City of Jamestown and the 1st Republican Female Mayor of the city. Mayor Ecklund’s primary priority as Mayor is to ensure Jamestown is an excellent place to work, live, visit and do business.
Mayor Ecklund was born and raised in the city. She graduated from Jamestown Community College in 1987 with an A.A. in Liberal Arts and graduated with honors with a B.A. in Business and Psychology from SUNY Fredonia. After graduation, Mayor Ecklund made the decision to move back to Jamestown and accepted a job with Bush Industries (now e-Solutions Furniture). At Bush, Mayor Ecklund worked in various roles in finance and dedicated 34 years in total employment with the company.
Mayor Ecklund has been active in the Jamestown community for more than 30 years and is passionate about the city. She has stated, “My parents raised me with the value of giving back to the community, and if you live here, you should do good here”. Her parents’ words and philosophy encouraged her to become a mentor through Chautauqua Striders, which she has been for more than 18 years now. She is also a vital member of the Babe Ruth World Series Committee, serving as the VP Public Relations Division Director. In 2003, Mayor Ecklund decided to pursue a role as an At-Large Member of the City of Jamestown Council and ran for election. She ran for an At-Large seat so that her parents could vote for her, as they were her inspirations for playing an active role in the Jamestown community. Mayor Ecklund won the election in 2003 and served as an At-Large Council member for over 20 years, earning the community’s confidence through numerous re-election campaigns.
Her role as a Council Member ultimately led her to run for the Office of the Mayor. She saw opportunities for change and improvement that she could bring to office, envisioning hope and inspiration for the future of Jamestown and its residents. Mayor Ecklund worked tirelessly during her election campaign, knocking on many doors, speaking with constituents, and seeking out their feedback on how to improve Jamestown. She was declared victorious on election day, overwhelmed with the confidence and support she received from the community.
As Mayor Ecklund’s third month in office comes to a close, it has been a period of transition and adjustment as she learns the processes of City Hall from a perspective outside of a City Council Representative. The knowledge she obtained during her years as a Councilwoman, however, has helped her immensely during this transition and adjustment. Since taking office, she has been focused on “getting the house in order”. She successfully filled the role of City Comptroller on her first day in office, closing a void in this position which had been open for over a year. She brought new staff into the Mayor’s Office, spent time getting to know the employees in all departments in City Hall, and focused on making City Hall more accessible to the public. Mayor Ecklund recently instated a new employee policy, changing and streamlining employee hours to ensure consistency among departments and ensuring offices are open during lunch hours and extended in the afternoon. She stated, “We cannot close our doors during lunch or shut down early. We need to be open normal business hours as we are here to serve the public and the people of Jamestown”.
Coming from the private business sector, Mayor Ecklund has a strong passion for business, expanding business in the community, and wants to help businesses in any way possible. Since coming into office, her calendar has been full of meet-and-greets and introductions with all types of businesses in Jamestown, from Manufacturing to Retail, Hospitality, Food, and Arts. She will be kicking off a 2-week tour, meeting with different organizations in the city to open communication and find out their needs, working as partners to ensure their continued success in our community.
Mayor Ecklund has three main immediate priorities: the Financial Stability of the City, Public Safety, and battling the National Drug Epidemic affecting our community, and Housing. She stated, “Without financial stability of the city, nothing else can be done. Without financial stability, we cannot maintain or advance our city”. Regarding public safety and the drug epidemic, she stated that this is an all-hands-in issue and approach and that she is “working with state, county, and federal leaders and hoping to drive change that is valuable and helpful to improving the safety of our community”. The housing market and real estate industry have faced significant challenges and turbulence in recent years; furthermore, the old housing stock in Jamestown is a growing problem in the city. To combat some of the housing issues, Mayor Ecklund has stated, “it is time to implement new housing ordinances to battle vacant, absent, and predatory landlords who are not keeping up with their properties and significantly affecting the safety and well-being of tenants and our neighbors”.
Mayor Ecklund is passionate about youth and is focused on making the community “a better place for the next generation.” She leads by example and encourages youth, and everyone, to get involved. She has and continues to enjoy her time as a youth mentor. Mayor Ecklund believes that it is important for youth to have someone to look up to, to be encouraged, to inspire them, and to help navigate them as they grow into adults. She mentors because “I care. The only way to make a difference is to care”. This is also the same mindset she has taken as the new Mayor of the City of Jamestown.